The Middle
by byShamora
Summary: Sakura woke up feeling beautiful and confident. She couldn't have guessed that that same day, two other people in particular would notice it as well. Non-massacre. ItaSakuSasu triangle. Unbeta-ed. Lime.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Sakura woke up feeling more confident tan usual. She looked at herself in the mirror and felt pretty, strong and absolutely wonderful. As she walked beaming down the streets of Konoha, she couldn't have guessed that that day two other people would particularly notice that as well.

Sasuke saw their long-time teammate walk towards them at their usual lunch place and for the first time wondered about his own idiocy.

He looked at her curves in that snugged top, her toned, long legs and the way a sudden breeze flew through her hair, just enough to make it wave around her delicate face. As she came closer to greet them, he also noticed the way her big emerald eyes shone in the most impressive shade, or the way her rosy, full lips curved into a warm smile as she said his name.

Something happened inside of him, something chilling that made his hairs stand and his lower abdomen warm. That same warmth rushed to his face as well and he felt the need to look away from her gaze.

Sakura was gorgeous.

And he had just noticed.

* * *

Itachi's moment of peace came crushing down as he heard a loud bickering outside his house. He immediately –and not without some tingle of annoyance, recognized the voices as Sasuke and his teammates.

They were usual in the Uchiha house as for some unexplainable reason they had warmed into his mother. She was always eager to invite them over for dinner and cook every dish in her repertoire, probably because she knew they would gladly eat everything.  
To Itachi, this wasn't normally an annoyance, after all, he was rarely home with all his missions. But today had been an abnormally exhausting day; he had just returned from a two-month-long mission and had wanted nothing but to rest, until his father had summoned him to a clan meeting where he had come to the conclusion that he would rather die than become one of those elders.

He had walked home with the worst migraine he had had in a long time and had just sat in the living room to finally get some peace. Unfortunately, the arrival of Team Seven meant anything but peace.  
He was massaging his temples as he heard Sasuke announce his arrival.  
Out of pure politeness he decided to stay in the room to greet them, but then something totally unexpected happened, that somehow managed to completely erase his migraine and any unpleasant thought we would have harvested up until that moment.

Haruno Sakura entered the room.

It wasn't the fact itself, it was what he saw when he looked at her smiling face, bowing her greetings.

She looked radiant.

For the first time he noticed her womanly figure, her long tight boots embracing her long and toned legs, her creamy skin and the way it seemed to glow. The faintest blush was adorning her cheeks, which only made her look cuter. Her loose and long rosy hair fell silkily down her shoulders and her eyes… her eyes…

"Hello, Itachi san", she said to him and it took him a great amount of deal to focus on his response.

"Hello Sakura", his voice sounded raspy and weak. He didn't like this.

Neither did he appreciate the way his body warmed up when she smiled at him in return.

He didn't like this at all.

* * *

A/N: This story was more of a personal project. I never intended to publish it until today, when I finished it and re read it many times and wondered if it was any good. So basically, I'm publishing this to know if it's good or it just sucks. It hasn't gone under the meticulous inspection of a beta reader, so expect many mistakes.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

She woke up with a smile.

Today was her birthday.

Nothing felt much different, except that she was in a very good mood. She noticed how it didn't take much effort to get out of bed as it usually did, and after a nice and warm shower she was energetic.  
Her usual breakfast felt delicious and even the daily sleepy walk towards the hospital was replaced by a happy stroll as she hummed a song she heard somewhere.

Nurses and medics at the hospital congratulated her and remarked how glowing she looked, how radiant her skin was or how shiny her hair was today. She indeed felt exceptionally happy. She didn't even mind when she was notified of a critical patient's attempt to escape from the hospital. Instead, she offered him a small smile and encouraged him to hold on for two more days until he was released.

After her shift she went to meet with Naruto and Sasuke for their usual lunch at Ichiraku's, and although she usually complained about always eating ramen and why couldn't they at least once try something different, she found herself enjoying her bland bowl of ramen very much.  
When her dear teammates started their usual banter over the stupidest things like the way Sasuke's hair resembled the butt of a chicken, or how Naruto would incorrectly spell a word of elementary school's level, she just couldn't bring herself to bother. She looked at them as if they were the cutest little children fighting over a toy, earning odd looks from them.

"Sakura chan… are you ok…?", Naruto asked wary. He exchanged glances with Sasuke, who looked as intrigued as him over the whole 'peaceful and loving Sakura' thing.

She just nodded happily, offering them a smile before returning to her meal.

Suddenly Naruto yelped, almost squeaked, startling the Uchiha next to him.

"Ah! I know! Today is Sakura chan's birthday!", he said alarmed and stared at her for confirmation. Her small, giddy nod was the answer he needed.

"Happy birthday Sakura chan!", he said and grabbed her in a tight embrace.

"Happy birthday", came Sasuke's more modest congratulations and she beamed at them muttering a quick 'Thank you' while she tried not to die suffocated in Naruto's loving grip.

It was only noon and she was receiving so much love already! Her chest tightened with joy as she left her teammates a while later for a quick shopping.

It ended up being nothing near quick after she ran into Ino at the store. She was also thrilled about the celebration, already starting to take onto herself the task of planning her best friend's party. They spent most of the afternoon together, having ice cream, looking at dreamy dresses and beautiful jewellery as they went.

On her way home she ran into Mikoto, who congratulated her warmly and invited her for a celebration dinner at her house.

"Mikoto san, thank you very much! But please, is not necessary", she said shyly with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Nonsense! You're practically part of the family Sakura chan, and we will be happy to celebrate this important day with you", the Uchiha matriarch insisted with a kind smile and Sakura didn't have much choice but to accept.

After a nice and relaxing bath, she got ready for dinner at the Uchiha household.  
Upon arrival, she was greeted by an excited Mikoto, an enthusiastic Naruto and a shy Sasuke…

Wait, shy?

She noticed his faintly coloured cheeks as he averted his gaze from her whenever she looked at him, but after Mikoto san served their plates the whole matter was forgotten.

Some minutes later the front door slid open as Itachi entered the house. His lifted eyebrow suggested an enquiry over the reason behind this small celebration, and Sakura couldn't help the mortified blush on her face when his mother excitedly explained it to him.

"Happy birthday Sakura, I'm very sorry, I didn't know", he said as he walked to take a seat with them.

"No, please, don't worry…", she said, suddenly feeling the centre of attention. "Thanks"

She didn't exactly know why her belly twisted when he looked at her, or why she felt shyer than usual, but she made an effort to avoid his gaze for the rest of the evening.

After thanking Mikoto for the wonderful dinner and complimenting her on her amazing cooking skills, she left the Uchiha house in the company of Naruto.  
They got to her apartment to find the party already started. A loud "happy birthday Sakura" received them as she opened the door, and seconds later she spotted Ino loudly making her way through the crowded little flat to approach her with a strong embrace and a bottle of beer. Sakura looked around and saw familiar faces; all rookie nine were there to celebrate, Kakashi was also there, next to Genma and Shizune.

She mixed within the crowd, talking and drinking and even dancing as she slowly got herself drunk. A while later Sasuke appeared and in her inhibited state she threw herself at him in a clumsy hug.  
She felt so happy and excited that she didn't even worry about the positive hangover she would be feeling in the morning.  
She was talking with a group when the song that had been stuck in her mind for the last week suddenly played. She smiled to herself and moved away from the group to dance to the tune. She knew she probably looked like a fool with her hardly coordinated moves, but she couldn't care less.  
A light touch on her waist registered in her dazed mind before Sasuke was in front of her, looking at her with clear amusement. She grinned at him and exaggerated her clumsy moves, earning a soft laugh form her black haired teammate.

"Dance with me Sasuke kun!", she yelled through the noise, and against all odds he approached her and started lightly moving to the music as well.

She noticed his hand was still on her waist, and it was probably because of the alcohol, but she felt compelled to bring him closer. She rested her arms around his neck as his free hand came to hold the other side of her waist.

She lost track of time, slowly moving to the rhythm in the arms of the boy that had once plagued her mind and claimed her heart.  
That had been a long time ago, but for some reason she was feeling warmth well up in her chest and as he moved slightly closer, his scent felt suddenly strong in her senses and his gaze deep on hers.

She smiled at him, humming the song and never leaving his eyes.

She heard Naruto calling her from behind and released Sasuke when she turned to face him. The blonde was happily singing the song Sakura could only hum and they ended up loudly singing it together and dancing to it.

After several hours the party had died and only Team Seven remained, sprawled in her couch, barely clinging on to consciousness. She couldn't help a weak laugh when she looked at her left and saw Naruto's head lazily hanging from the arm of the sofa, his mouth fully open and a trail of saliva running from it.

To her right was Sasuke, who was as wasted as their blond friend but with some more dignity to it. He was cornered on the other side of the couch with his arm bent over, supporting his groggy head. His lips were slightly parted and his eyes were shut.

Sakura took a moment to look at his oblivious form and slowly scanned his features.

With the passing of the years he had become a really handsome man; his face was more angular, his hair was a bit longer and though his overall frame was still lean, it was wider and more manly.

She bit back a soft chuckle when she saw his slightly flushed cheeks; the only evidence of his drunken state.

Sakura smiled to herself and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling unable to fight unconsciousness anymore. She leaned on her side and let her head rest in Sasuke's shoulder. His soft breathing quickly lured her into sleep, but before she completely passed out she felt him stir and lazily move his arm around her in a side embrace.

* * *

Sakura was leaping through the trees in the outskirts of Konoha. Early in the morning, Tsunade had asked her to deliver an important scroll to the Daimyo, and now she was coming back. She was glad to notice that it still wasn't noon, so the whole mission had been completed in less than four hours.

She decided she could take it a bit slower and actually enjoy her surroundings. That was until she felt a strong presence followed by the sound of metal clashing.

'A fight?', she thought as she masked her chakra and slowly followed the source of the sound.

She reached a small clearing occupied by a single person.

Uchiha Itachi was in the middle, darting kunais at marks so far into the forest she couldn't even see them.

She lowered her defenses when she saw the black haired shinobi, realizing she had run into him in the middle of his training.

Something about his movements caught her attention and made her want to stay and watch. She saw as he produced a Shadow Clone and started sparring with it, mixing graceful Taijutsu moves with some techniques she couldn't recognize. She fleetingly wondered what would happen if it was her, instead of that clone, fighting the young Uchiha.

Itachi suddenly stopped and reached for a bottle of water in his back pouch, all the while Sakura stared at him from behind a nearby tree. She saw how his long ponytail was loose and some strays of hair were falling free around his face and down his chest. She also took in the way his strong hand held a grip of the bottle, or how his muscles would flex under his skin when he saved it a few moments later.

His breathing was slightly laboured, but apart from that there was no evidence of fatigue in his stance.

He suddenly reached for the tie restraining his hair and pulled it out, letting the midnight locks fall free down his back.

She felt her cheeks growing warmer.

He then proceeded to comb it with his hands and then pull it back together in a tight ponytail at the base of his nape.

She had known Itachi for almost as long as Sasuke, and from the moment she met him she knew he was probably one of the most handsome men she had seen, but now that she was older and not a silly little girl dreaming about love, she couldn't really explain the sudden butterflies she felt in her belly, or why she was standing here practically stalking him in the middle of his training, when she knew she had much better things to do.

Sakura suddenly felt ashamed, and was even more so when she noticed his eyes moved in her direction.

She had been caught.

Her feet quickly moved in the direction she had come as she prepared to resume her travel back to the Hokage tower, until she was suddenly stopped by the sharpest tip of a kunai pressed against her throat.

"Sakura, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you", Itachi said from behind her as he removed the menacing weapon.

Mortified, she slowly turned around, hoping he wouldn't notice the furious blush in her cheeks.

"Itachi san! I'm sorry, I was on my way back to the Hokage tower from a mission when I heard fighting sounds", she tried to put on her coolest attitude. "So I came to investigate… That's when I realized it was you", she gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry to have disturbed your training".

He nodded and smirked minutely before falling silent for a while. She felt the need to say something to break the awkward silence, but it was he who spoke first.

"Perhaps you would like to join me?"

Sakura struggled to get past the shame of being caught stalking him and tried to understand what he was saying.

He was offering her a spar?

She quickly shook her head and bowed politely.

"No! I mean, thank you but I'm already late for reporting back to Tsunade sama", she answered hastily, hoping he wouldn't think her disrespectful.

His smirk grew wider as her blush deepened.

"It's alright, I won't take any more of your time then", with that he turned around and walked back to the small clearing.

Sakura felt relieved to have escaped such awkward situation and as she resumed her trip she hoped she wouldn't have to run into him anytime soon.

* * *

Team Seven was exhaustedly laying against a big tree in their favourite training grounds.

It had been a satisfying training session for all of them, one that they hadn't had in a long time and it had taken up most of their day, so now they were trying to regain some strength.  
After a while they left the place and as Naruto was the first to deviate from their route to his house, Sasuke took this rare chance to be alone with Sakura.

"Tomorrow I have some business near the hospital", Sasuke started cooly as they walked at a slow pace side by side. "Wanna grab lunch near there?"

Sakura, completely oblivious to his true meaning, accepted eagerly and started rambling about the places they could go that would 'meet his royal standards', as she said.

He gave her a side glance before returning his gaze to the road ahead.

He recalled the night of Sakura's birthday, when they had danced together in a light embrace. He remembered how her eyes were bright and looked straight into his as a wide smile formed in her lips. He could still feel the warmth of her body, closely moving to the music and her scent, lingering on his clothes and body when he woke up the next day.

That morning he had been surprised to find Sakura snuggled against him in her sleep and even more so when he realized he was also holding onto her.

He had left her house feeling an awful headache, but the satisfied clench in his chest was more than enough to go through it.  
He had decided on that moment that he was going to win her back, no matter how much it took him.  
Soon they separated their ways and he continued walking to his house.

Later that night, after he had showered and laid comfortably in his bed, the idea that he should have walked Sakura home popped in his head.  
But of course he excused his lack of common sense by telling himself that this whole 'courting' thing was an absolute novelty to him.

* * *

Sakura was having a busy day. For some reason, half of the shinobi population of Konoha decided to get themselves nearly killed, to the point where they were running out of beds to treat them.

It was chaos.

So, being the diligent and organized little girl she was, she took onto herself to coordinate the rooms and the patients, prioritizing the potentially life threatening injured ones and in a few hours she had mostly everything under control.  
With a long sigh she put some coins into the vending machine and patiently waited for her fourth coffee of the day.  
Tsunade walked past her in her usual stormy pace and entered a room not far from her.

Her shishou had also had to come to help put the chaos in order, as there were too many critic patients for Sakura and Shizune to handle them by themselves.

The Hokage reappeared a second later at the threshold of the door.

"Sakura, I need to have a word with you, so take that coffee and get your ass in here", she said and disappeared again.

She sure was cranky.

Sakura did as she was told and entered the main office, which was currently occupied by Tsunade.

"Sakura, as much as I like you being in the hospital, a request has been made to me that I cannot refuse", the busty blonde spat without looking at her, rummaging in some files directory. "Recently, one of the best medic nins in ANBU was deceased and left a vacant that must be refilled as soon as possible".

"Given the importance of this position, choosing among the available options was impossible, and since you're trained as a field medic," she paused and looked at Sakura straight in the eye, "I am offering this position to you",

Sakura stared at her mentor for the longest time before registering what was really happening.

"So, Haruno Sakura, you're being offered the position as head medic of the ANBU forces", Tsunade finished.

The pinkette moved her mouth without any sounds coming from it. She looked like a fish out of the water.

"Tsunade shishou….", she could muster after some seconds, "this is incredible, thank you!", all of a sudden a huge smile was plastered on her face. "I would gladly take the position", she bowed enthusiastically at her master.

"Perfect, then you are to meet in fifteen minutes with Uchiha Itachi for the details of your first assignment", the blonde said in a dismissive way before turning to the files again.

"Thank you again, Tsunade-shishou, this means a lot to me", Sakura bowed once again before leaving the room.

She couldn't believe how her crappy day had turned into the most wonderful one she had had in a long time.

After attending one last patient, she retreated to her office where she found the Uchiha heir waiting for her.  
He was casually leaning against her desk, fully clothed in ANBU attire and his mask hung from the belt at his hip. His long midnight hair was tied in a loose ponytail and the soft-looking tresses rained down his front.

Sakura blushed before she quickly turned around to close the door and hide her flustered face. She mentally slapped herself for ogling at Sasuke's brother, although it was quite impossible not to.

"Itachi san, sorry for the delay", she said as she successfully tamed her expression and stood by the door.

Something akin to amusement played on his features before being quickly replaced by his usual serious expression.  
Itachi carefully explained the nature and responsibilities of her new position, and informed her of her first mission.

"Tomorrow at 6 am on the front gates", he said and Sakura nodded. "I left your ANBU uniform on your desk", he slightly turned his head to his side, pointing to where said clothing was neatly folded into a package.  
Sakura looked at the mask on top and couldn't help but wonder why hers was in resemblance of a fox. Was it random? Could she get to pick her own mask one day?  
The odd look that the Uchiha was giving her made her feel ashamed of her childish train of thought, so she cleared her throat and thanked him for everything.  
She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was time to meet Sasuke for her much desired lunch. So they walked to the exit of the Hospital as Itachi was also leaving. When they stepped outside he paused and turned to her.

"Congratulations Sakura, I'm looking forward to see your abilities in the field", the Uchiha said to her in that velvety voice of his before nodding his goodbye.

Maybe it was the mid summer sun or the way his smooth voice did funny things in her stomach that made her furiously blush. She couldn't help a smile creep up her lips as she thanked him, feeling all of a sudden like a giddy teen.  
She watched his retreating figure with that dumb smile still plastered on her face when she heard someone calling her name.

"Sakura", the younger Uchiha brother came walking to stand in front of her, effectively blocking Itachi's back from her view and erasing that shameful expression off her face.

"Sasuke kun, were you waiting? I'm sorry, I just had the busiest day…", she said with some exasperation. "Shall we get lunch? I'm starving!", as if on cue, her stomach growled with hunger and she gave him a small apologetic smile.  
Sasuke gave her a small smirk as well and they went to a nearby restaurant.  
As Sakura ate her shrimps with utmost satisfaction, she chuckled lightly and caught Sasuke's attention.

"It's so good that Naruto is not here to force us into Ichiraku", she joked.

"Yeah, that dobe probably has ramen stew running into his veins", Sasuke said before skilfully grabbing a fried shrimp with his chopsticks.

The mood felt really light and comfortable, something that was kind of usual when in the company of her dear teammates, but the times she got to spend alone with Sasuke were seldom, and even if he had acquired more vocabulary than 'hn' over the years, he was still usually very quiet.  
This felt like a nice change. There was a time when Sakura would have fainted over the idea of having lunch alone with Sasuke, but that felt like a lifetime ago.  
It was true that she still found him very attractive and he could still pull out some blushes out of her, but after years and years of blind devotion, she had come to realize that it just wasn't meant to be. So one day she decided that she wouldn't waste more time dreaming about someone who clearly didn't feel the same.  
After some time, she had managed to transform all the love she felt for him into deep brotherly affection, the same as she felt towards Naruto and after that, everything felt more balanced.  
That was when she actually started realizing about the existence of other men. She had never considered the fine level of male specimens Konoha had to offer, which had leaded her to commit the catastrophic mistake of voicing her thoughts to Ino.  
The loud blonde female was the only one to blame for her awkwardness towards the older Uchiha brother, as she had once pointed out to Sakura each and every one of the features that made him the most gorgeous man alive.  
Inner Sakura couldn't agree more, but in the end she figured that it would be a lost cause, just as it had been with Sasuke.

Both jounin resumed their meal in comfortable conversation, and when it was time to leave, Sasuke offered to pay for it.

"My treat", he said in a tone that left no room for protests.

Sakura thanked him, enjoy his attentions for a change.

"I have to return to the hospital", she said while stepping out of the restaurant, "Thanks for the lunch, next one is on me"

They both stood face to face and a sudden air of awkwardness filled the space in between.  
She didn't exactly know why.

"See you soon, Sakura", he said with the oddest look in his eyes and a strange lopsided smirk.

She brushed it off and said her goodbyes before returning to the hospital a few blocks away.

"Strange", she said to herself. If this wasn't Sasuke we were talking about, she would have almost believed that he was…flirting with her.

The pinkette snorted a short laugh. The idea of a flirting Sasuke was as ridiculous as Naruto eating vegetables, so she just dropped it, convinced that he might have felt ill on the stomach or something like that.

* * *

A/N: This story was more of a personal project. I never intended to publish it until today, when I finished it and re read it many times and wondered if it was any good. So basically, I'm publishing this to know if it's good or it just sucks. It hasn't gone under the meticulous inspection of a beta reader, so expect many mistakes.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

In spite of her nervousness about her first mission in her new ANBU team, Sakura was doing a really good job. It had been hard at first to keep up with their pace, but after a while she grew used to it and was running side by side with the rest of her comrades.  
When the goal was successfully met and they were on their way back to Konoha, she started wondering if that was it. She was so used to missions going not as planned, that this felt unnatural.  
Then again, she was working with elite ANBU shinobi who had years of experience and indoctrination.  
They stopped in a small clearing to catch their breaths and hydrate.

The mission had been relatively easy, but it didn't go without a fight, so Sakura went to each member for a medical examination. When she reached Itachi, he was laying against a tree with his fingers massaging his temples.

Sakura frowned.

'The Sharingan?', she thought as she approached him. Sakura had seen him use it when fighting the group of Mist nins that had ambushed them, but she didn't think it would put much stress to his eyes.

"Itachi san, I need to do a small check-up", she stood straight, meeting his gaze without letting him intimidate her.

"I'm alright", he said stubbornly. Of course she already knew he would say that. She figured it was a family treat.

"I think _I_ should decide that", she replied without a flinch.

Seconds passed as Itachi observed her in an indescribable way, making the air denser between them until he sighed minutely and loosened his stance.  
Sakura took this as a 'yes', and came closer to place her hands on his temples. She looked intently into his midnight eyes, fleetingly thinking how beautiful they were, before shutting her eyelids to concentrate on her chakra probing. She felt a huge amount of chakra residual build up in the pathways behind his eyes, and she reckoned it must be causing him severe migraines.

'This is what the Sharingan is doing to you?', she wondered. It was too much of a work to handle in the field, but she could at least relieve some of it.

As she started pushing her healing chakra into his system, she was completely unaware of the way Itachi was looking at her features. After a while she opened her eyes, feeling the weight of his stare and was a bit taken aback by the intensity of it.

His eyes were slightly narrowed, giving his irises a darker shade. Sakura held her breath.

His face was very close to hers as she was still healing him, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his skin and his very pleasant scent filled her senses.

She felt warm all of a sudden.

His gaze was intense; it was impossible for her to look away. She knew she was blushing like mad, and probably the green hue of her chakra wasn't covering it at all, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She felt entranced.  
Then, his stare moved to her lips, and she felt her heart skip a beat, or two. Sakura unconsciously bit her lower lip, unable to control her body motions anymore. He moved closer, inch by inch until their noses were almost touching. Her abdomen twisted with the huge rush of adrenaline. His eyes were still fixed on her lips.

"Itachi!", she heard Shisui in the distance, but it was enough to break the spell. Itachi moved away to look at his teammate. "The first traps were activated, we're being followed", Itachi's cousin finished.

Sakura felt like she woke from a dream. She heard him command everyone to start moving back to Konoha, and in a dazed state she did.  
Several minutes later, while leaping through the trees she started wondering.

What had just happened?

* * *

They returned a few hours later and went immediately to the Hokage office to report. As they made their way out of the building, Shisui turned around and looked at them.

"Hey guys, what about a few drinks to celebrate our new teammate?", he said grinning expectantly.

Genma immediately liked the idea and joined Shisui in the staring contest at the two remaining members of the team. Sakura smiled a little awkward, but was also into the idea.

"Sure, I'm in", she said after a while.

They all waited for their captain to reply and a little reluctantly he accepted with a short 'Hn'. The group ended up in a small pub in nice, comforting seats and some light music playing in the background.

"One, two three!", Shisui eagerly counted before they all drowned their glasses of Tequila to the bottom. Sakura couldn't help the contort of her face as the strong liquor ran down her throat, making Shisui and Genma laugh hysterically.

She looked at Itachi, who was sitting across from her and noticed his amused smirk.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to drinking like an animal, as clearly you all are", she said with mocking offense and rolled her eyes.

After a few more drinks she was feeling light headed and started moving to the rhythm of the music. All the while looking at the Uchiha in front.

"Feel like dancing Sakura?", he said playfully, noticing her soft movements. For some reason she couldn't get her eyes off those lips of his. A warm rush filled her suddenly when a flashback of their interaction in the clearing popped into her mind.

She nodded lazily.

"Mmm, I would like that", she replied. "Though I wouldn't take you for the dancing type, Itachi san"

He raised one eyebrow while his smirk grew wider.

"Indeed, you're right…", he said slowly, his tone dropping a few notes. "…but I enjoy music nonetheless".

Yes, his voice and three shots of Tequila were definitely a bad combination. She felt warm all over and a sudden need to know more about this man overtook her.  
Sakura realized that even though she had known him forever, she didn't really _know_ much about him.

"What about you Sakura?", Shisui abruptly cut her train of thought and left her lost on the topic. He looked at her expectantly. She realized that she had been solely focused on Itachi and blushed furiously.

"Me?", she asked a bit unsure.

"Yeah, you have someone you like?", Shisui had a mischievous glint in his eye. She glanced nervously at Itachi before mentally slapping herself for blatantly giving away her answer.

She looked at Genma and then at Shisui again in a last attempt to cover her slip.

"N-no, not really…", she fought the urge to fidget.

"Really...?", the older Uchiha gave her a knowing smile and she knew she was screwed.

The rest of the night went by rather comfortably, except for the few looks Shisui was giving her and Itachi. When they left the pub Sakura was concentrating hard on giving some semblance of sobriety. She didn't realize the amused look Shisui gave her before walking with Genma in the other direction, leaving her alone with Itachi.

They walked quietly for a few blocks and it was Sakura who broke the silence.

"Tonight was fun", she said tentatively.

"Hn", Itachi replied in his all-too-known monosyllable. She rolled her eyes.

"Shisui often likes to go for drinks after short missions, so this probably won't be you last time", he said glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. "I suggest that you work on your liquor resistance".

She laughed softly and looked at him from behind long eyelashes.

"I guess I failed at trying to look sober then…", Sakura felt a warmth in her belly that had nothing to do with all the alcohol she had consumed.

Only when they reached her apartment did she notice that he had walked her home. She turned around to face him with a questioning look.

"I figured it would be dangerous for a drunken girl to walk home by herself", he said as if reading her mind.

Sakura blushed as a smile formed on her lips.

"You know, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself…", she teased and he smiled back.

"I know…", he stepped closer and ever so slightly lifted his right hand to brush a small thread of hair off her face, securing it behind her ear. The faint touch made Sakura blush furiously as adrenaline ran free into her system. She parted her lips slightly when Itachi approached her even more, causing her pulse to suddenly rush and her breathing quicken.

"…But I don't like taking unnecessary risks", he whispered close, giving her goose bumps.

She could feel his soft breath on her face and his body warmth reaching her through the fabric of her clothes

Then, all too soon he stepped away from her.

"Good night, Sakura", he said in his velvety voice before turning around to take his leave.

Sakura looked at his handsome figure walking away from her in a complete state of bewilderment. She stood there for a long time, until her pulse went back to normal and she could manage to work the keys into her door. She just walked to her bed and collapsed on top, turning around so she faced the ceiling.

With this brother there was no mistaking it.

Itachi had definitely flirted with her.

* * *

A few days later, both had been summed before the Hokage. She was in charge of investigating over a new battle drug that was leaking into the Fire Country. Her analysis would help Itachi get a lead on who was behind it, and who was getting profit out of it. She sat in the the chair, waiting for the mixer as she contemplated the preliminary results of her tests. It was late in the night and the hospital was mostly silent. Only the ER area was active and that was opposite to the laboratory, where she was stationed. Sakura walked across the room in a slow pace, trying to connect the pieces of information she had. The machine finally stopped and she went to collect the samples. After placing a drop under a microscope, she watched with some fascination the behaviour of the cells into the fluid.

'What is this…?', she thought.

The next day she ran into Itachi on her way to the library. She was going there to do some research regarding her findings the night before, when the Uchiha had appeared at her side and joined her pace. She informed him of the raw results she had had so far and told him how she couldn't understand the behaviour of the cells in the sample when exposed to a minimum amount of Chakra.

"I'm going to investigate about it now, so I will probably have some information for you in the afternoon", she said looking at the dark haired man next to her.

"Thank you", he said politely. "Tomorrow morning, Shisui and I are leaving to investigate further into this, so I will be waiting your findings".

She nodded and after that he deviated his direction towards the Hokage tower.

Many hours and books later, Sakura was tiredly leaning on the chair in a far table at the corner of the library. She was the only one left, with only a table lamp to illuminate the dark room.

As promised, Itachi appeared in the library and approached her slowly, almost startling her. She looked at his dark figure coming closer to finally stand next to her.

"Did you find anything?", he asked with an odd expression. He had a frown and his eyes were slightly narrowed.

Did she really look that messy?

She pushed aside the uncomfortable sensation of looking like trash in front of Itachi and told him about her findings.

"The cells get into an excitement state once in contact with chakra, enhancing their regeneration abilities to the point where they're almost indestructible and basically making the user immortal for a period of time", Sakura said while looking for a book that would explain her point. "But after some time, the drug generates a chemical reaction using the iron contained naturally in the body as its main source, which ends up killing them".

"So the drug gives the user a boost of power but after some time it ends up killing them?", he asked.

"Exactly, there is a condition though, which is very rare in itself", she said, following his moves as he sat in the chair across from her. "The drug can only be stimulated into working only with iron nature chakra", she finished.

They both fell silent as Itachi contemplated the new information.

"Iron nature is very rare among chakra users", Itachi stated with a thoughtful look.

"That would narrow down the search", she said with a small curve to her lips. "Since the person who came up with this drug must be of that kind of chakra nature".

His eyes lifted to meet hers in a locked gaze.

"This is very advanced experimentation, so only a highly capable person with thorough knowledge of chakra and poisons could have made it", she added some seconds later.

"Medic nin of iron natured chakra…", he said to himself and Sakura nodded.

He was silent again but after a while his gaze lost its coldness as he looked at her. She was feeling increasingly uncomfortable under his stare.

"Thank you Sakura, this has been very helpful", he said without taking his eyes off her.

She smiled weary, feeling the fatigue finally taking over her body. "You should go rest now", he said and it made Sakura chuckle lightly.

"Do I really look that bad?", she teased.

Itachi smiled and closed his eyes minutely. When he reopened them his gaze was warm and intense, making her feel like he was looking into her very soul.

"Not in the least", he replied softly. Her cheeks tainted with red, but she resisted the awkwardness.

"You're right, I should head home now…", she said as she stood up and started collecting the towers of books that she had looked into when researching.

Without a word, Itachi stood up as well and helped her carry the books to the shelves.

"It's ok Itachi san, I can take care of this, you should go rest for the mission tomorrow… it will be a long journey", she was suddenly feeling shy. But he didn't respond and just kept arranging books.

Seeing herself ignored, she sighed in defeat and continued her task until the table was empty.

They walked out of the library in silence, calmly pacing through the dark corridors.

"Thank you for helping me out back there", she commented in a quiet voice. She sounded weaker than she intended, but she supposed it was because the older Uchiha was very intimidating.

"Aa", he muttered simply. She noticed he was looking at her from the corner of his eyes and suppressed the need to flinch under his gaze.

"I'm glad you were assigned to this, Sakura", he started. "You're the most capable medic nin I know after Tsunade", he continued and Sakura turned her shocked face to him. "I know I can rely on you and that's very…", he trailed off. "…refreshing".

She was blushing like mad. His compliments, she knew, were not handed off easily, so she knew he really meant each word, which only made the whole situation more embarrassing and awkward for her. She muttered a shy 'thanks' before her mind started wondering about his words.  
He was under a constant stress with all his responsibilities. She figured he was the kind to carry everything on his shoulders and ended up tense and worn out. That realization made her feel a strange excitement to be able to really help him lift some of that weight off him.  
A gentle smile formed on her lips then as she turned to look at him.

"I'm happy to know I can help carrying some of the weight off your shoulders", she said. "I'm gonna do my best so I can continue doing so".

He was speechless for a few seconds, only being able to return her look. A smile of his own appeared after that, the kind of smile that turned Sakura's insides in a mix of warm hormones and adrenaline.  
They had stepped outside the library building and were standing in front of each other in complete silence. His eyes intensified their gaze on her on the verge of both young shinobi's departure. Sakura felt a peculiar need to reach him, almost like a magnetic pull.  
Under the soft street lights of Konoha, his eyes were smouldering and deep, and she noticed how his long eyelashes casted shadows on his cheeks. He was just standing, but it felt like he was getting her closer to him and for some reason, she didn't mind.

She was getting closer to him in a whole different level.

In the end she just offered him a warm smile and bowed at him.

"Good night Itachi san… and thanks for everything", she didn't exactly know the full meaning of that 'everything', but she was sure it was much more than a little help carrying books.

Her smile was returned by the Uchiha, in a way that made her want to grab his arms and force him closer.

"Good night Sakura", he said after a while. Neither of them moved away as there was a lingering intensity in the air, floating around between them.

She finally broke the spell and looked downwards.

"Bye", she said and slowly turned around.

The pink haired girl walked down the street, leaving the Uchiha behind to stare at her back.  
She didn't know why that simple situation had become so awkward, though not in an unpleasant way, but she had felt like she needed to get away from it before…  
Before what?

She felt her stomach turn in sweet adrenaline and she smiled to herself.  
She knew what was going to happen if she continued this and couldn't help the warm pressure on her chest at that thought.

Her smile only grew wider.

* * *

A loud knocking on her door woke her up.

Sakura yawned without a care in the world and lazily got up from her bed.

"Who is it?", she asked out loud while reaching the door.

"It's me", a voice she recognized too well said from the other side.

Sakura opened the door and moved to the side to let him in.

"What are you doing here Sasuke? Is too early", she pouted and closed the door behind him.

"It's eleven am", he deadpanned. She rolled her eyes and dragged herself to the kitchen.

"If you're here for training with Naruto you've completely lost your time", she said as she prepared herself some coffee. "Coffee?", she offered and he refused with his head. "There is no way I will do any kind of physical activity today. I'm drained".

"No, it's not about training", he said. "I'm here for something else".

Sakura took her mug and walked back to the living room where Sasuke was standing.

"What is it then?", she said before sipping her coffee and immediately regretting it. It was way too hot.

"Shit…", she muttered while taking the tip of her slightly burned tongue out of her mouth.

Sasuke was looking at her with amusement clear on his features. He waited for a second before indulging in the real reason behind his visit.

"I want to take you on a date"

She froze.

Sakura stared at him for the longest time, before she started laughing.

"What?!", she put the cup of coffee in the auxiliary table and sat on her couch. "You came all the way to my house to make fun of me?", she thought the whole idea was hilarious.

"I'm not joking Sakura. Let's go on a date", he repeated, his face absolutely serious.

The pinkette eyed him suspiciously.

"Why would you want to do such a thing?", she asked, still with humour in her voice.

"For the same reason other people go on dates", he replied.

What? Did that mean that he… liked her? She started to consider his words. He looked very serious.

"Did Naruto put you up to this? This sounds very much like one of his pranks", she said, although she doubted the blond would pull something like this on her. He still thought Sasuke was a sore topic for her. "Why now? All of a sudden, after all this time?", she asked.

"No, Naruto doesn't even know I'm here, no, it's not one of his pranks", he sounded exasperated. "As to why now, I guess I recently realized all the time I lost…", he gulped. "…with you", his eyes went straight to the floor as he avoided her incredulous look.

Shock, absolute and utter shock. It was all she could feel right now. She was gaping.

"Are you serious?", she insisted and Sasuke rolled his eyes at her.

"Look, is just a yes or a no", he was clearly losing his patience.

"Ok…", she blinked and released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I'll go on a date with you", she never thought she would say such a thing to Uchiha Sasuke.

"Good, then get ready. I'll wait here", he said, taking a seat on her sofa.

"What, now?", she almost jumped from her seat.

"Yes"

Shit. She would have to pull some miracle to look decent enough for a date with her date currently waiting in her living room.

Her date…

She still couldn't grasp any sense of reality into this situation. It was surreal.

Sasuke and her in a date.

Suddenly, in a tiny, deeply hidden part of her chest something pulsated at that thought. Could she allow herself to feel it again? Could she allow herself to hope?  
She rushed to her bathroom to take a quick shower, brush her teeth and fix her hair. Then went to her wardrobe to pick something nice to wear.

One hour later, she walked into the living room feeling fresh and looking radiant. She felt proud of herself for managing such a feat in one single hour.

To Sasuke, of course, the wait was almost unbearable, that was until he saw her in that little yellow strapped dress, her beautiful legs showing, her glossy hair pinned on one side with what seemed to be a blossom clip and her cheeks mimicking the color of her hair.

She was a sight.

He smiled. A real, full blown smile.

* * *

Between the exotic flavoured dango stand and the roasted eel sticks stand she realized how screwed she really was.  
Sakura looked at the young Uchiha walking next to her with a content smile on his face and felt the heat rush to her cheeks and belly.

She was in deep, deep trouble.

"Are you ok?", the boy asked. She could only put a smile on her lips and nod.

As they reached the end of the fair, she felt his hand gently grab her by the forearm.

"Come, I wanna show you something", he said cryptically before walking in a different direction.

Sakura realized that he wasn't letting go of her arm, and something warm bloomed in her chest.

Soon they left the streets and buildings and entered an isolated area in the woods. There was a big wooden arc with Uchiha signs all over it, signalling the entrance to something like a temple.

Finally, they reached some sort of traditional garden with a beautiful Sakura tree in the back, next to a small pond with Koi fish. They sat on a stone bench.

Sakura looked around and marvelled by the quiet beauty of the place.

"Wow…", she said as she took in the details of the garden.

"This is a Uchiha temple. In spring the Sakura tree is full blossomed, and they have various activities to celebrate the start of the new season", Sasuke explained calmly.  
He turned to his side to regard her silently. His eyes were deep, she noticed, intently looking at her own irises.  
She felt naked under his stare.

"This is my favourite place…", his voice was much softer that what she was used to and she understood that this was a side of him she had never seen before.

It felt intimate.

"Sasuke…", she heard herself say. His scent danced in the air, and it only made her heart beat faster.

She realized he was sharing this very personal place with her, and if she had had any doubts that she was being pranked, now they were all cleared. She knew, for sure, that Sasuke had feelings for her.  
The thought was hard to process, especially when he was seating just inches away from her and looked like he was moving even closer.

Sasuke liked her.

When did this happen?

"Sasuke…", she said slowly. "What is this about?", she asked, and by the confused look he gave her she decided to elaborate.

"What is going on? I chased you for years and you never seemed to care and now… all of this…", she trailed off, knowing that he understood her now.

His sudden smile took her by surprise. He moved his hand to caress her cheek with a gentleness she didn't think him capable of.

"I know, it took me a lot to figure…", he was almost whispering now, his face getting closer. "How important you are to me".

Sakura held her breath and in a second his warm, soft lips were on hers. He pressed lightly and she was in such shock that felt at a loss of what to do. Her lower abdomen filled with warmth and a chill run up and down her spine. Her body was clearly reciprocating.

Her eyelids fell shut and she felt him move against her lips, massaging them, probing.

She had to stop.

This was wrong on so many levels.

The image of a certain older Uchiha brother flashed before her eyes and she backed away from Sasuke's kiss.  
He was surprised, she could tell, and before he could say anything she hastily stood up.

"I can't do this", she said. "I'm sorry", and with that she ran away from the place, from him. She ran so hard her legs started to ache, but she didn't care.

She stopped in a small clearing leading to a cliff. This was far enough.  
The wind blew hard and as much as she wished, it didn't shake off all these wrong feelings.

'What do I do now?'

* * *

The Uchiha household was comfortably quiet. Itachi was seating to the dining table across from his father, who was reading some seemingly interesting scroll. His mother was finishing with dinner in the kitchen, humming to herself in a happy fashion.

It was all so very relaxing.

A loud sound came from the main door as Sasuke burst in in a very discernable sour mood.

"Sasuke kun, dinner is almost ready, go seat by the table", Mikoto said when she felt him enter.

"I'm not hungry", he spat and went straight to the back of the house.

"What is wrong with that kid?", his mother appeared from the kitchen, a puzzled expression on her face as she followed Sasuke's movements with her eyes.

Later that night, after a nice family dinner, Itachi went to find out about his little brother's mood. He found him seating by the backyard, his gaze lost in the horizon. He silently sat by his side and remained quiet for a long time.

"Where were you today?", Itachi asked softly without looking at the young Uchiha.

There was a long pause before Sasuke replied.

"I was on a date with Sakura", he finally said.

Itachi felt as if someone had just punched him.

He didn't know Sakura and his little brother were dating, and that realization felt like a bucket of iced water.

"You're dating her?", Itachi asked tentatively.

"No, I just asked her on a date today"

It was strange the effect Sasuke's confession had in Itachi. Somehow he felt relieved that Sakura was single, but the fact that his brother liked her anyways was painful.

"She…", Sasuke continued after a while. "She rejected me".

Itachi looked at his brother from the corner of his eyes and closed them. He didn't even know what to feel. So he decided that right now Sasuke needed his older brother to comfort him, and that's what he did.

"Give her some time Sasuke…", he started. "you were always complaining about her when you were younger and if she decided to move on, this must be difficult for her", he caught his little brother's attention. "Perhaps, now is your turn to demonstrate your feelings for her", he offered him a small smile and saw Sasuke's shoulders relax a bit.

"Hn", the young boy fell silent once again, contemplating over Itachi's words.

A few hours later, the house was dark and silent. Itachi laid on his bed with his gaze stuck to the ceiling.

He didn't know how to process this.

He had recently realized that little Sakura was not so little anymore, and that had awakened something inside of him that he thought was lost. He felt the need to spend time with her, and of course, there was this revolution of hormones he felt whenever the kunoichi was around. He often found himself thinking about her lips and that suggesting way she bit them without realizing, and how he would like to bite them himself.

Yes, he was infatuated with the pink haired kunoichi.

It had come as a surprise to him, but where before he only had to worry about his own inexperience in the field, he was now facing a remarkably bigger dilemma.

He was infatuated with the pink haired kunoichi, and so was his little brother.

Sasuke was so foolish. The girl had been following him around like a puppy for at least seven years and he had only complained about it. He had had plenty of time to make a move, yet he never did.

Then what should he do? In the dawn of this new information, what should be his next steps?

Sakura was part of his team now, which meant they would spend a large amount of time together. Should he ignore his own feelings to clear the path for his little brother?

Itachi had noticed the way he affected her as well, how her cheeks grew redder when in his presence, or the way her pulse quickened whenever he got close.  
He had flirted with her and her body had boldly reciprocated. He didn't need the Sharingan to see that. Even thinking about that now gave him goose bumps…  
Itachi released a long sigh.

He was absolutely lost when it came to girls.

* * *

A/N: This story was more of a personal project. I never intended to publish it until today, when I finished it and re read it many times and wondered if it was any good. So basically, I'm publishing this to know if it's good or it just sucks. It hasn't gone under the meticulous inspection of a beta reader, so expect many mistakes.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sakura would have never thought she would find herself in such a bizarre situation.  
Not only she had two men apparently interested in her, but they also happened to be brothers. And not just any brothers, but the Uchiha brothers. And on top of it all they where both her teammates.

She felt sick.

What was she supposed to do?

The most disturbing thing about the whole matter was that she actually had feelings for both of them. It was different for each one.  
With Sasuke it was love that ran deep, but not in a romantic way, as she had suppressed those feelings long ago. They had created their bond years ago and that love was something that will probably never fade, just as it was with Naruto. She would die for any of them without thinking it twice.  
But now with his flirting and his confession, that other side of her love was awakening, reviving, and she was scared. She spent so much time loving him and he always pushed her away, always rejected her and now he was finally corresponding it. Was it always meant to be but the timing was just not right?  
Something about it made her feel like going backwards, but, at the same time, that love had always been always there…

And now there was Itachi too. Her feelings for him weren't at all as deep as those for Sasuke, but it was different. He wasn't her best friend, nor did she see him as a brother.  
He was a man, and the feelings and sensations he elicited in her were intense, as she had never felt for anyone, not even for Sasuke. After all, back then she had been but a child, and now that she was a woman, it felt completely different.  
Itachi was grown up and the way he looked at her made her feel wanted, desired, without room for doubts. She realized she was rapidly falling for him.

Sakura grimaced.

She couldn't pick one as if they were different kinds of chocolates or something. She just couldn't.

The only thing she could do was to forget about them both.

After a long and restless night of wondering she came to a perfect conclusion.  
She would restrict any contact with them to simple politeness.

She supposed such behaviour with Sasuke would be quite difficult, since he was still her dear friend from Team Seven, and it would be mostly awkward when the three of them met. So she would have to treat him like a brother; not too cold but nothing close to flirtatious.

With Itachi it would be technically easier since they were only teammates, so she would just stick to professionalism and politeness, but taming her emotions towards him would be hard. Especially since he seemed to elicit them without even trying.

She sighed for the thousand time and rolled on her bed to lay on her side. It was time to get some sleep, if only a few hours.

How come everything became so complicated?

* * *

Itachi leaped through the trees at full speed.

Unlike the last one, this mission was expected to be quite long, so they carried backpacks to handle their travel for at least a month.

Sakura seemed to be carrying the pace without any trouble, but after eight hours of travelling with only one short stop in the middle, they were all ready to set camp in the woods.

After everything was set and the team was preparing to sleep, Itachi walked around the area to take the first watch. He walked pass the pinkette's lying figure and hopped onto a tree branch.

Why he chose that particular branch had nothing to do with the clear view he had of the medic nin.

And the fact that, a few days later he paired himself with her in the same bedroom when spending the night in a small inn, had been nothing but a tactical decision.

At least that's was he kept telling himself when he was laying on a small bed listening to her even breathing from the bed next to his.

The next morning, he woke up early to get into the shower. He finished drying himself with a towel and put on his pants. He opened the door to get out of the bathroom and was surprised to find Sakura standing right outside.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were inside", she excused herself.

But what really caught his attention was the way her eyes met his and then shamelessly travelled down his front until she stopped at his hips and quickly went up again.

He could see her rosy cheeks turning several shades darker and felt compelled to tease her a little.

He casually leaned against the frame of the door, barely leaving space for her to enter.

"Are you coming in?", his voice was purposefully low as he wore an amused smirk. He was curious as to what she would do.

She gave him a dry nod and looked downwards.

He could see her pulse quickening.

She gave a few steps and brushed part of his chest and shoulder in her way in. The touch felt electric. He couldn't help the way his body instantly warmed up with arousal.

He decided it was enough and moved back into the room.

As days went by, he noticed –with a certain amount of annoyance, that the kunoichi was blatantly ignoring him. When they ate together, she would only talk with Shisui or Genma and wouldn't even spare him a glance. It was unsettling.

Of course he could guess where that attitude was coming from, and some part of him knew it was for the best and that he should probably do the same, but as they crossed paths in corridors, he couldn't help the annoyance when she would look the other way.

So, one night, after a long day of surveillance, when they returned to the inn, Itachi decided that he would take matter into his own hands.

He was in the room and Sakura was away. He had noticed that she waited for him to be asleep –or at least pretending to be asleep, before she entered the room every night.

He walked to the door and felt her chakra signature coming from the long corridor, so he slowed his pace and opened the door in perfect timing to meet her as she was about to go in.

He looked at her surprised form and stepped closer. She stepped backwards, moving away from him.

"Sakura", he called as he approached her again. "You are avoiding me", he stated with some annoyance.

Sakura glanced in his direction before returning her gaze to the floor.

"No…", she lied.

He stepped closer.

"May I know the reason?", he asked, completely ignoring her lie and she moved backwards until her back collided with the wall. She looked at bit confused, out of words as she was obviously trying to come up with an excuse. He took the opportunity to move even closer until he was a foot away.

"I'm not ignoring you, I just thought that we were here to work together and nothing else", she said with furrowed brows.

Something tingled in his gut.

"Really…?", he looked down at her, effectively covering her with his own shadow.

He slowly raised his hand to grab her chin and force her head up to face him. She was blushing and her breathing was hitched.

"I'm no fool, Sakura, and I don't appreciate being lied to", he said in a low tone. "I think I know where this is coming from", he inched closer to her face and his voice was almost a whisper. "But… for some reason", his face moved to her side almost touching the side of her cheek as he filled his senses with her addictive aroma. His eyes shut and ever so slightly nuzzled the tip of his nose against the shell of her ear. Itachi heard her sharp intake of breath and felt against his own skin how her body grew warmer.

He wanted her so bad. "… I can't bring myself to care".

"Itachi…", she whispered breathily against him and he felt again that electricity running through his body.

He placed his forearms at each side of her head, trapping her. Then his face moved to her neck to brush his lips against her soft skin.  
She let out a small, contained whimper and that was enough for him to throw all common sense out of the window.

He placed a kiss on her neck, then another, then he moved downwards to that tiny space between her neck and shoulder and without even thinking about he bit her lightly.

This time she let out a clear moan.  
Her hands went to his front and grabbed his shirt tightly, scratching his skin underneath with her nails through the fabric.  
The sensation was too strong.

He roughly pushed his body against her, making full contact before grabbing her face to move it towards his. He licked his lips and crushed them onto hers.

He kissed her, passionately. She moaned against his mouth and he took the chance to slide his tongue inside, roughly, hard. He was losing it.  
Her lips were soft and full and wet and he massaged them relentlessly, his tongue caressing hers, tasting her. Her tiny hands moved to his back to trace the outline of his muscles while she reciprocated his kiss. Her fast breathing and occasional moans where driving him crazy and he felt his arousal growing hard against her stomach. He released her mouth and went back to her neck, this time rougher, nipping and biting and kissing all the way down to her collarbone. She was panting. His hands moved to her outer thighs and in one swift movement he lifted her and levered her weight against the wall, pushing his hips into her hard.  
She moaned his name.  
He was feeling lightheaded.

He was so lost in the moment that he almost missed the strong feeling of Shisui's chakra coming through the hallway.

Itachi immediately ceased his movements. He roughly grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind them.

Sakura was looking at him through wide eyes, completely confused about his sudden reaction and was about to say something when they heard Shisui calling on the door.

"Itachi, the target has been located", his voice was urgent.

The Uchiha heir looked at Sakura once again and saw the residual intensity of her gaze.

Such bad timing.

"Prepare your stuff, we're attacking tonight", he commanded, steeling his voice as responsibility took over.

Sakura nodded, also understanding the urgency and went to ready herself for the battle.

* * *

She knew she wasn't the best strategist ever, but this was ridiculous. Her plan had been an utter and shameful failure.

She had managed to went by unbothered for most of their mission, ignoring Itachi whenever it was possible without much trouble. As days passed, it had become increasingly difficult, especially after she was teamed up with him and had had to share a bedroom and a bathroom, but being the smart girl she was, she had found the way to stay out of danger anyways. Itachi was a very structured man so it hadn't been hard to time their encounters, or more precisely, their lack of.

But when she was about to open that door, she knew something was off, and minutes later, when she found herself trapped in between the wall and a very persuading Uchiha Itachi she understood the extent of her failure.

It had all happened slow motion. His closeness, his intoxicating scent, the warmth of his body and his skin on her skin. In the end she hadn't had the strength to fight her own desire and just gave in to his touch, to his kiss.

God, his kiss!

She didn't know how she would do to live without one of those again. A small part of her told her that maybe she didn't have to.

She looked at their captain running a few meters ahead.

There was no more denying her attraction towards him, but sadly that didn't make the situation any easier. He was still Sasuke's brother and she would still rather die than intentionally cause him any pain.

She figured that, given another encounter with Itachi, she would just have to be honest and talk to him.

The sky was orange with the last rays of sunshine shooting from the horizon and at the distance was the outline of Konoha's main gates, silently waiting for her return and promising hell as she would have to face the unexpected Uchiha mess she had gotten herself into.

She hadn't seen Sasuke in over a month and wondered what would have been his thoughts during that time. Would he still be mad about her rejection? She certainly hoped not, but soon, too much for her liking, she was about to find out.

Days after her return to Konoha, she found herself stiffly sitting at Ichiraku's next to Naruto and the issued Uchiha.

Sasuke was also rigid and noticeably uncomfortable, so much that even the loud blonde made a comment about how he had reached a whole new level of surliness.

Sakura felt the unwelcome dose of guilt when she discreetly looked at him and remembered how she had shamelessly responded to Itachi's kisses and was mortified to realize that a large part of her wanted it again.

She wondered with a rising sense of panic if Sasuke knew about it. Surely Itachi didn't mention it, right?

"Sakura", Sasuke woke her from her rambling thoughts. "How was your mission?", he asked.

She scrutinized his every feature in search for any kind of sign that would confirm her biggest fear, but she couldn't find anything. He was so difficult to read anyway.

"You were away for quite a long time", he continued before eating his noodles.

"Yeah, Sakura chan, you went with teme's brother right? Is he treating you well?", Naruto asked in his suspicious and overly protective way. Sakura would have normally rolled her eyes, but her wariness only allowed her an awkward smile.

"It was good, everything went as planned", she said. "Just a bit long and exhausting"

"I bet it was Itachi's thing, I've heard he's quite tough with his team", the blonde said.

"No, not at all, he's a great captain, I'm learning a lot from him", Sakura felt the need to defend him.

She missed the way Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her.

"If that baka lays a hand on you I will chase him down and beat the crap out of his stuck up ass!", the blonde energetically waved a fist in the air. Sakura glared at the blonde and told him to shut up. She was already feeling awkward by the memories of her little incident with Itachi and also by having to talk to Sasuke after what had happened in the Uchiha temple; she didn't need Naruto dwelling into it on top of it all.

She figured she couldn't avoid talking to Sasuke anymore, and maybe this could be a good chance to ease the tension and maybe clear her own feelings about him.

So after they finished their meal, Sakura left with Sasuke in an attempt to have some time alone.

"I heard you took down a group of ten missing nin all by yourself", he said as they walked next to each other.

"Uhm, well, they had been fighting with Shisui and Genma before they attacked me, so I guess that made it easier", she replied fidgety.

"Doesn't matter, they were still S class criminals, it takes a highly skilled shinobi to take down one, never mind ten", he said with a certain edge of pride in his voice.

She laughed nervously.

"Thanks…"

"I was impressed"

She looked at him with exaggerated aggravation.

"What you mean impressed?"

He chuckled softy.

"Don't get me wrong, I know how strong you are", Sasuke looked at her with a faint smile that made her blush. She straightened her back and regarded him form the corner of her eye.

"Maybe I could even win to you now", she said with a smug smirk.

"I guess we would have see that in the field", he replied challengingly.

"Whenever you want Uchiha"

"I might pick you up one of these days to settle it down"

Sakura laughed relaxed, feeling the tension between them dissipate. She fell silent for a while, trying to build some courage for what she was about to say.

"Sasuke kun, about the other day…", she started but was interrupted by the boy.

"It's ok", he said, making her turn to look at him. His expression was collected and she couldn't quite pinpoint how he felt about the whole situation.

"I kind of deserved it anyway, but I understand that you might need time to accept this", he smiled bitterly. "It sounds ridiculous that after all this time I'm the one chasing after you, but I want you to know that everything I said that day that was real, it still is"

'Sasuke kun…', she blushed.

"I guess I need time to sort all this out, but now I just don't want it to be awkward between us…", she said.

"It won't, I promise", he drew a soft smirk and regarded her.

She felt the nagging sensation in the back of her mind that she wasn't being completely honest with him. She couldn't just tell him she was developing feelings for another man, especially not when said man was his brother, but in the end all she did was smile back at him.  
They suddenly reached his house and Sasuke invited her in. She was about to decline when Mikoto saw her from the window and quickly walked to the door to invite her as well.  
When they reached the dining room there was onigiri served on the table, and not one to be rude, she sat down to it.  
Not much time passed before Itachi entered the room carrying a plate with more onigiri and they crossed looks. He greeted her politely as he sat down as well.

She hadn't known he was here.

"This is delicious Mikoto san! Everything you cook is so good!", Sakura said as she happily ate the rice balls, trying her best not to show her uneasiness towards the older brother.

Mikoto had a strange glint to her eye.

"I'm glad you like them Sakura chan, but I can't take credit for them", she said with a mischievous expression. The pinkette looked at her not really understanding.

"It was Itachi kun who made them", the black haired woman said with some air of pride in her voice.

Sakura looked at her and then moved her gaze towards Itachi, unable to mask her surprise.

"Really? Wow, Itachi san, I didn't know you cooked as well", she suddenly felt shy.

"Ahh, my mother taught me when I was little", he replied, and to her amusement, he was trying to avoid her gaze. Apparently he was more embarrassed than her.

Sakura smiled and grabbed another rice ball as the rest continued their conversation. She felt a strange tingle of excitement about this new discovery. It was hard to picture the all mighty Uchiha Itachi in the kitchen perfecting his cooking skills, but for some reason she liked this aspect of him; it made him seem more approachable, more of a normal human being and less the unreachable ANBU captain genius.

"This Friday is the annual event hosted by the Uchiha Clan", Mikoto said after a while. "You should come Sakura chan, as our guest. Naruto kun should come too", she looked at Sasuke as if asking him directly.

"Those parties are awfully boring, I don't think my teammates want to go, mother… I don't want to go", he replied with a frown in his eyebrows.

"Nonsense, that's because you don't know how to have fun; the more reasons to have your friends coming with you", she said and looked at Sakura then.

She felt uneasy, between the mercy looks Sasuke was giving her and the insistence on Mikoto's gaze.

"Thank you, I would like to go", she said after a few tense seconds. "I'm sure Naruto would be happy to go as well", she looked at the defeated expression on Sasuke's face and smiled inwardly.

Both brothers hastily stopped what they were doing to look at her. Sasuke was giving her an incredulous and somewhat pained look, while Itachi just regarded her with his expression unreadable. She just brushed it off and smiled at Mikoto before taking a sip of her tea.

She failed to notice, though, the suspicious look on the Uchiha Matriarch as she studied the situation, especially her sons' odd behaviour.

* * *

A/N: This story was more of a personal project. I never intended to publish it until today, when I finished it and re read it many times and wondered if it was any good. So basically, I'm publishing this to know if it's good or it just sucks. It hasn't gone under the meticulous inspection of a beta reader, so expect many mistakes.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Itachi wondered about Sakura going to the event. Many hours after she left their house, he was seating in the backyard, quietly listening to the leaves rustling in the tree while he tried to decipher how he felt about her attendance. His little brother would be there, so it would be difficult for him to have some time alone with her without him suspecting.

Their encounter in their last mission had been a game changer. He knew he wanted her, but until that moment he hadn't know to what extent. Now he also knew she wanted him, so in a normal situation the next step would be quite obvious, but this was no ordinary situation. His brother was his competition, his beloved brother for whom he would die without a question. How could he follow his heart without hurting him?

He didn't feel when his mother approached him from behind until she was seated right next him. Sometimes he forgot about the great kunoichi his mother had once been.

"Itachi kun, what's on your mind?", her voice was soft with concern.

"It's… nothing", he said after a while. He should know, though, that his mother was not to be taken lightly.

"You know, when I first met your dad, he was so cold to me", the black haired woman started with a relaxed countenance. "He would always push me away because I was promised to your uncle since birth", she smiled to herself. "It must have been hard for him to handle the situation… he loved your uncle very much but he loved me as well".

Mikoto eyed her son from the corner of her eye.

"In the end, your father realized that he should pursue his own happiness, and that that would never lead to losing the love of his family"

Itachi stood silent, listening to his mother's words. He didn't understand how was it that she always knew what was troubling him. It was almost as If she could read his mind.

He turned his head to face her and smiled teasingly.

"You have any mind abilities that I'm not aware of?", he said with a smirk. Mikoto laughed softly.

"I'm allowed to keep secrets too", she winked at him playfully.

After a while, they both fell silent again.

"Itachi kun, just remember that everything can be solved through words, but it's important to be honest about it", she said softly.

He didn't look at her this time, instead, he focused on the large Sakura tree next him. He faintly thought that there was still a long time left before it bloomed.

Many days later, he found himself getting ready for the annual event. He saw the pink haired girl enter their house and for a moment he was speechless.  
Her hair was arranged in a high bow with delicate ornamenting. She was wearing a white yukata with a small cherry blossoms pattern all over it. She looked like a winter flower.  
As she looked at him, he saw her cheeks growing pink and her look getting deeper. She approached him and made a polite bow.

"Itachi san, good evening", she said.

He returned the bow and stepped closer.

"Sakura, you look beautiful", he said and watched with fascination as her blush deepened. There wasn't time for much else as Naruto entered behind her and soon everyone was in the receiving area, ready to leave the house.

When they got to the party, he found Shisui already there and decided to stick with him. His cousin would talk about everything and soon he found himself surrounded by people he didn't know. He searched through the crowd for his pink haired kunoichi…

His?

He smiled to himself, trying to remember when did she become 'his'.

He found her eyes looking straight at his amidst a bunch of people. She smiled at him and a heat surged in his chest. Soon she was distracted by some people talking to her and they broke their stares.

It was like that most of the night; he walking around, socializing and looking for her in the crowd. He had drunken a few cups of sake and was already feeling lightheaded. After a while he walked to a more secluded area and leaned against the wall, grabbing another cup of sake as he went.

Not so much time passed when Sakura appeared from within the mob and walked to stand next him.

"This sure is a popular party, isn't it?", she said in a good mood.

"Ahh, more people came this year", he commented.

"The truth is that I always wanted to come… after all, it's one of the greatest events of the year in Konoha…", she trailed off, looking at people talking and dancing.

Itachi regarded her for a second before speaking again.

"I've always wanted to skip them"

She looked at him and chuckled.

"Why, so antisocial! You seem to be the only one not enjoying it, look at Shisui san", she gazed at the older Uchiha.

Itachi followed her look to his cousin, who was happily flirting with a group of girls.

"Well, he's social enough for both of us", he smirked and Sakura giggled softly.

His eyes returned to her. He noticed her cheeks were flustered and guessed she had too, drunken a few cups… Her body was slightly curved to the side as she was having trouble standing still.

Ok, maybe more than a few.

"Still having trouble handling your alcohol?", he asked teasingly and she laughed.

"Only a little", she said between chuckles, her gaze instantly warming up as she looked at him through half lidded eyes. She casually leaned against his shoulder, letting her eyes close for a moment.

Itachi felt the need to wrap his arm around her, but the curious glances people were giving them prevented him from doing so. He needed more privacy.

With that thought in mind, he gently took her hand and leaded her outside the building.

The night air was chilling as a cold breeze blew against his hot skin. Sakura shivered with the sudden change of temperature and looked at him.

"What…", she muttered without taking her eyes off him.

He stepped closer until he was a mere foot away and felt his heart rate increasing.

His hand reached up to cup her cheek and she softly leaned to it, closing her eyes in the process. His eyes went to her rosy lips and he suddenly felt a compelling need to kiss them.

His face approached her slowly until the tip of his nose was brushing hers. He felt her hold her breath as her eyes opened minutely. Her sweet, intoxicating scent was luring him into a spell he couldn't break and in a swift movement he placed his lips on hers.

It only felt natural.

He felt her relax under his touch as she gave in to the kiss, merging into it. His lips softly massaged hers, nipping at the bottom in a silent request for more. She complied and his tongue brushed past hers, eliciting a rush of electricity down his spine. His hand moved to the back of her head, guiding her as he deepened the kiss.  
Her mouth was hot and moist and he could taste the faint flavour of sake on her.

She suddenly broke the kiss and moved away.

"I… can't do this", she whispered. His hand didn't move an inch from her head.

"I know about it", he cut her in. "Sasuke told me about your date", he said slowly, almost testing the words.

She lifted her gaze and looked at him questioningly.

"But you see, Sakura…", he moved closer again. "I'm not used to feeling this… attraction, so…", his words were whispered against the tender skin of her lips. "…I don't intend on giving you away", he placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth, then another one and then another as he moved to the centre of her lips, each time more intense, possessively reclaiming her as his, as she finally gave up and kissed him back, passionately, almost desperate.

His insides turned and twisted with her unexpected passion as he pulled her closed into his embrace.

In one swift move, he lifted her off the ground into his arms before jumping to the rooftops and then again until they reached his house.  
He landed in the backyard and walked them to his room, closing the door behind them.  
Sakura looked at him with such intensity that suddenly there was no room for words.  
He crushed his mouth into hers, devouring her in a mind blowing kiss, massaging and biting and licking until both of them were panting. He grabbed her hips and pulled her to him, letting her feel his arousal as a soft moan escaped her mouth.

Itachi grunted, feeling unable to think properly anymore. He moved them towards the bed and lowered her body onto it, placing himself on top of her between her sprawled legs, pinning her down. His lips found hers again as he kissed her deeply, pushing his hips into her and marvelling at the intense sensation. Sakura moaned his name against his lips and he did it again, this time harder.

His hand skilfully loosened the knot holding her yukata together and slid beneath the fabric until he reached the underside of her breast. His thumb caressed the border of her bra before stealthily moving underneath it.

His other hand went to her hair, running his fingers through it as he had wished to do so many times before. Then he roughly pulled it backwards, forcing her head up and leaving her neck exposed for his kisses.

He fully cupped her breast under her bra, massaging it slowly before rolling a hardened nipple between his fingers. She moaned louder, making him grow harder against her core.

His mind had gone to a place where he could only feel her and nothing else existed; her skin, her lips, her soft moans and the way she whispered his name…

Itachi knew that after this, there would be no going back, but he couldn't bring himself to worry about the consequences.

He just wanted her.

* * *

She woke up to warm skin.

She inhaled deeply and marvelled at the intoxicating scent she felt. Her belly turned inside in an automatic response as drowsiness wore off and she became very aware of where she was and who she was with.

'Oh my god…', inner Sakura was jumping and fuming with delirious happiness as she strained to control her sudden rushing heartbeat.

Her face was pushed into his chest and neck and his strong arm had her tightly grabbed from the waist. She noticed how her leg was shamefully intertwined with his and her arm was wrapping his torso all the way to his back.

But for the last remaining of her prudery, the most mortifying discovery was her nudity. Against his nudity.

Ok, she had done it. To hell with it.

There was no going back now, and from the fact that Itachi's sleeping embrace felt the closest she had been to paradise, she suspected she didn't have much intention on doing so anyway.

'Shame on you Sakura!', she mentally berated herself, contradicting her body as it snuggled closer to Itachi's.

His breathing was soothing and his heated skin felt like silk against hers.

She figured Ino would be crying out loud with hysterical surprise if she saw them right now.

After a while she realized her right arm and leg seemed to be no longer attached to her body, so she concluded she really needed to change positions.  
Of course, the dominant Uchiha next to her thought otherwise. He stirred from his sleep and lazily brought his hand to her shoulder, without opening his eyes. His thumb softly caressed her skin, tenderly at first, but as seconds passed by, his touch became firmer and his hand started to wander around in her back.  
Sakura was really enjoying his caresses, until his hand moved to her waist and slowly made its way up to the side of her breast.

She held her breath.

Not so much because of his wandering hand, but because in that precise instant, something warm seemed to come to life against her thighs.

Really, at this point it just seemed stupid to be blushing about such a thing, but the hotness in her face made her wonder if Naruto had been right and she was really a prude.

In a swift movement, she found herself flat against the bed, face down and being roughly pinned by the strong and very _naked_ body of Uchiha Itachi.

He took hold of her wrists and pushed them down against the mattress. She felt the delicious weight of his muscular body pressing on her back. His lips moved to the side of her neck to trail soft kisses all the way to her nape and then moved downwards until they reached her shoulder blade.

"Good morning", she heard him mutter darkly against her skin.

Sakura couldn't help the chill that ran through her body.

She could get used to waking up like this.

* * *

An hour later, Sakura learned a new definition of tiredness, seeing as her limbs just wouldn't respond.

She looked at the man at her side, his breathing still laboured as he enjoyed the aftermath of his own orgasm, and noticed how a tingle of heat pooled in her belly. Again.

She really needed to get out of that sinful bed.

As she managed to sit on the mattress, she wondered how she would get out of that room without being noticed.

"Hey", she heard Itachi calling from behind her. She was about to turn around when a strong hand held her by her middle and forced her back to bed.

She couldn't help a smile creeping up her features as his face buried in her neck.

"Need to go somewhere?", his voice was muffled against her hair, and it tickled pleasingly.

"How am I going to get out of here?", she asked softly.

"Through the door. I'm quite sure that's its purpose", he teased. Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean, I can't just appear from your room as if nothing"

Itachi fell silent for a while, apparently contemplating her words. Then he placed a small kiss on her shoulder and moved backwards to look at her straight in the eyes.

"We're going to have to talk to Sasuke", he said, his tone acquiring a more serious edge.

She nodded a bit reluctantly, not feeling ready to deal with it.

In the end, she managed to get out of his room to the bathroom and back without being noticed. Apparently everyone in the household was either asleep or out, but whichever was she thanked all the kamis she knew –just to be sure, for not running into Sasuke.

Later that day, as she read through medical ANBU procedures in an attempt to improve them, her mind insisted on wandering back to last night, and earlier this morning.

She blushed when remembering all the series of events that went by since last night.

Sakura realized that, even thought she had decided on forgetting about them both, her heart had made her decision without consulting her. But what about Sasuke? How would he take it?

'Bad of course', she mentally rolled her eyes.

Nevertheless, she tried to steel her resolve and made a mental note to talk to him as soon as possible. The more she hid it from him, the more betrayed he would feel.

* * *

He had known something was wrong the minute his older brother entered the house.

Sasuke was sitting in the backyard with a book on his hand when he felt the front door slide. He immediately recognized him as his brother for his distinctive chakra signature, but there was something in its intensity that spiked his attention.

Some time passed before he stepped into the garden and calmly walked around it.

Sasuke alternated his gaze between the pages of the book and his older brother, trying to figure out what was exactly off about him.

A sudden breeze flew in between them, lifting some leaves and making the pages of his book swirl around, but it was the scent it carried to his nostrils the thing that really set him off.

He could have never mistaken that scent.

It was Sakura's.

"Aniki, what's with you?", Sasuke asked him. Her scent was too strong and the repercussions of that train of thought made him suddenly feel sick.

Itachi fixed his gaze on him with such intensity that almost made Sasuke flinch. There was a long pause which only increased the tension.

"What is it?", the younger brother repeated impatiently.

"I'm interested in someone", the questioned Uchiha said. The oddness of his statement threw Sasuke a bit off, as he tried hard to understand why his usually closed up brother would confess such a thing to him.

Of course, in the back of his mind he already knew the answer, so before Itachi finished his speech, he was already shaking his head in denial.

"More than interested, actually…", Itachi's face was emotionless. "Haruno… Sakura", he finished.

"No…", Sasuke said. "You can't be serious"

Itachi only sighed long and deep and closed his eyes in an exasperated way.

"Why, Itachi? How could you do such a thing?", Sasuke's voice started dangerously rising as he stood up from the bench. "You knew how I felt, I told you!", his eyes were narrowed and his brows furiously frowned.

"I didn't look for it, it's just something that happened", he replied in his usual tone.

"I don't fucking care! You should have backed away!", Sasuke was yelling now. "Have you tried anything with her?", his eyes where wide with sudden fear.

"That is none of your business", Itachi said and that was enough for Sasuke as he launched towards his older brother at full speed. He easily dodged his attack and got to stand behind him, twisting Sasuke's arms behind his back to secure him.

"Sasuke, I won't fight you over this"

"Shut up! Fucking traitor! You can't touch her!", he screamed, desperately trying to break free from his brother's iron grip.

"I'm sorry little brother, but I won't back away", Itachi said.

Sasuke struggled in his grip, finally managing to escape him to stand several feet away. His eyes were narrowed, dripping with anger as he stared back at his older brother.

"Why… why did you laid eyes on her in the first place?! She's my teammate! My friend!", he spat venomously.

The older Uchiha regarded him composed. Sasuke felt like cracking that blank mask off his face.

He couldn't understand how the hell this had happened. Sakura had been forever his, and it never even crossed his mind that she would be interested in someone else. But he had seen the glances the pair exchanged, he had noticed how she blushed in front of his older brother, or how she suddenly acted all awkward when he was mentioned. That day in the Uchiha shrine, he had known, deep in his mind that she was drifting away from his grasp, but he hadn't wanted to face it.

"I'm sorry Sasuke", he repeated. "I just… fell for her…" he trailed off, a troubled look settling on his countenance. "If she's so important to you, you should let her follow her heart, instead of imposing yourself to her".

Sasuke only grunted in response. What did he know about what she wanted?! He saw him cast one last glace in his direction before jumping off the garden into the roof to completely disappear seconds later.

'The bastard ran away!', he thought, gritting his teeth.

How could he?! Sasuke was furious. He never thought Itachi could have harvested any feelings towards his pink haired teammate. Hell, towards anyone really. So what had occurred that made him notice her?

Where was Sasuke when this happened? She was supposed to be in love with him, it had always been that way and should have stayed the same, so why was he suddenly the rejected one?  
And his brother of all people! He would have even expected some competition from the Hyuuga guy, but Itachi…?  
He was at a loss of what to do. He felt betrayed and rejected and didn't really know how to handle these foreign emotions.  
He needed to hear it from Sakura. He needed to know the truth.

* * *

Sakura was floating around the streets of Konoha. Cloud nine was nothing compared to this.  
She had this ridiculous huge smile plastered on her face and didn't even feel the need to worry about the way people were looking at her. Her chest felt warm and inflated as images of a certain long haired Uchiha flashed before her eyes.

She couldn't help it.

She had spent the day training medical squads in the ANBU headquarters, and by the end of it she just wanted to drag her sorry ass to her apartment and just lay there in silence.  
She was fantasizing about a most comforting bubble bath as she opened her front door when she saw a very agitated Sasuke standing in the middle of her living room, his stare harsh and dark, his whole body stiff.

"Sasuke kun! What's wrong?", she said concerned, hurriedly walking to him to make sure he wasn't injured, but as she got closer, he harshly backed away.

She looked at him confused.

"What's going on between you and Itachi?", Sasuke spat fiercely, as if those mere words where disgusting.

Shit…

She was really too tired for this.

Sakura fell silent, understanding dawning in as she sighed minutely, trying to find her inner strength to deal with this. She finally met his gaze and was taken a little aback by the coldness of it.

"Sasuke kun… I've been thinking over and over on how to tell you this…", she closed her eyes for a moment. "…but I guess there's no easy way to say it."

Sasuke waited silent for her answer.

"I… I can't be with you", she blurted, making Sasuke narrow his eyes at her raw honesty.

"Regardless of who I'm with, I just can't go back to those old feelings I had about you", she said slowly.

"Is because of him, right?", he asked in a low tone.

Sakura shook her head.

"No, it could have been anyone… I even dated Neji, so no…", she stared at him with resolve, finally finding her inner conviction. "The truth is that just because you're suddenly aware of me, doesn't mean I'm going to run into your arms"

"I spent a whole lot of time trying to forget about you, you don't know just how painful it was, and after years I finally managed to feel comfortable around you, to care for you without expecting your love in return, I learned a new kind of love…"

Sasuke was about to reply, but she just continued.

"I admit at first I got confused, I'm truly sorry for that, it took me by surprise, but now I've realized all of this… I'm not going backwards", she finished and the room fell silent, heavy with tension as they both stared at each other.

"Sakura…he's my brother", he said in a weak voice, almost pleading. Sakura felt her heart break at that precise moment.

"I know… please believe me when I say I didn't look for it… I'm so sorry", she whispered, trying to keep the upcoming tears at bay.

Sasuke silently looked at her for the longest time, to the point where she thought he would just leave without saying anything else, until his smooth voice reached her ears.

"I can't forgive you", he finally said, and after a deep sigh he closed his eyes and walked past her to the door behind.

She felt him open it and close it as he stepped outside and then she was alone in the middle of the room, realizing she was now the wielder of Sasuke's hatred.

She didn't want to hold the tears anymore.

* * *

"I admit that's pretty fucked up, even for you, Forehead", Ino said to her pink haired friend as they sat in her living room. She had appeared in her doorstep with her eyes swollen with tears, so the blonde patiently sat next to her in the sofa, hearing her shocking story.

"But I'm proud of you", at this, Sakura looked at her questioningly. "You see, for the longest time you dreamt about Sasuke, and the idiot never ever reciprocated, so it's only logical that you would move on", the blonde stated. "If anything, he deserves it for having been such an asshole and take you for granted"

"And let me tell you something, even if Itachi can be quite scary…", her gaze softened as she looked at her best friend. "There's no man who deserves you better", she gave Sakura a warm smile.

"Thank you Ino", the pinkette smiled slightly.

"And, not to mention he's ridiculously handsome and one of the best Shinobi in Konoha, of course", she said lightly. "You know, I'm kind of envious of you"

Sakura chuckled softly, visibly relaxing her stance.

"He is quite handsome…", she said almost shyly.

"Did you sleep with him already?", Ino quickly turned into her characteristic light mood.

"Ino!", Sakura blushed furiously and looked sideways.

"Ahh Sakura! You're such a prude! Come on! Tell me the details!", Ino giggled and relaxed as well, noticing how her best friend was feeling better.

Honestly, she didn't know what Sakura would do without her.

* * *

Later that night, as Sakura laid in her bed trying to fall asleep, she heard a light knock in her window.  
Itachi was standing in her balcony and she let him in.

"What are you doing here Itachi? It's late", she said, fighting back a yawn.

"I came earlier but you weren't home, so I came again to check you were ok", he said.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at his bland reply.

"Sasuke talked to me today… I thought about telling you before he came to you", he continued after a while.

"Well, you're a bit too late, he was here this afternoon…", Sakura said as she walked to her bed and sat down crossed legged.

The Uchiha regarded her intently, waiting for her to elaborate.

"It was awful… he was truly heartbroken"

"I know", he said while moving to seat at the other side of her bed. "It will be hard for him to forget it"

"He hates me, he will never forgive me", she commented almost to herself.

"No, he will get over it", Itachi said as he looked at the night city outside the window.

"How can you be so sure?", she asked confused, looking at his profile.

"Because I'm his brother, and you…", he trailed off. "He loves you very much, you're his family too", his face turned to look at her.

Sakura smiled lightly, realizing how difficult it must have been for Itachi too. She knew he loved his little brother with all his heart, so she couldn't begin to comprehend what he must have felt when facing Sasuke.

And he did it for her.

Her smile grew bigger as she reached for him, gently touching his cheek. She brushed the tip of her nose against his and lightly pressed her lips to his. He immediately switched his position to hold her as he kissed her back.

Deep in her heart, she knew she had made the right choice.

They would be alright.

 **FIN**

* * *

A/N: This story was more of a personal project. I never intended to publish it until today, when I finished it and re read it many times and wondered if it was any good. So basically, I'm publishing this to know if it's good or it just sucks. It hasn't gone under the meticulous inspection of a beta reader, so expect many mistakes.


End file.
